Omega Institute in Rhinebeck invited me to spend a day experiencing their beautiful campus yesterday. The day after, I am feeling very relaxed and invigorated. The Omega Institute offers a "R & R" package for visitors who want to visit for a 2-night minimum, without registering for a holistic workshop. I experienced a mini R & R yesterday: ate a huge vegan breakfast at their dining hall, relaxed on the grounds, took an open Dancing/Movement class, browsed through the zillions of of popular and obscure self-help books in their library, and had a delicious vegetarian buffet lunch. I wasn't able to stay for dinner due to my schedule, but I still left feeling very relaxed and re-invigorated from this Hudson Valley escape.
The quiet was very calming. (In fact, some workshop participants walk around with "In Silence" badges hanging around their neck so there is little pressure for making small talk with strangers here, and that I found, was very refreshing, as I'm terrible at small talk anyway). The Dance movement class was a very different experience. The instructor cranked up 5 different kinds of very danceable music and all ten of us, strangers except for one lovey-dovey couple, danced freely around the room. At one point we were grouped into "tribes" and one person had to come up with a dance move for the others to follow. This is not as easy as it sounds! I was a lot happier just dancing, as weird as it felt at first. There is also a Wellness center and spa on the campus, which includes a co-ed sauna, which I didn't venture into. (They do have women's only hours).
Overall, it was a very relaxing and uplifting day for me. I would definitely return. Has anybody stayed at Omega for a workshop? What was that like?
For more information, please visit the Omega Institute website.
